Talk is cheap, there’s no denying that, and politicians sure do a lot of it, especially in pre-election times, when hard promises roll off their mouths as easy and fleetingly as water through a sift.
In her speech at the Labour Party conference in Killarney, Joan Burton promised that her cohort -which currently stands at 7% of popular support, let’s bear that in mind- will magic full employment back to Ireland in three years’ time.
She also promised to increase child benefit in the next budget, and the cherry on the promises cake today was that plans for two weeks paid paternity leave will be detailed by year end.
She committed herself to say that every child has a right to two years of free pre-school care.
Ms. Burton delivered an impassionate bit about the campaign for same-sex marriage, an issue which will be put to popular referendum in May.
Meanwhile, a group of water protesters broke off from the main march going on outside the conference and unsuccessfully attempted to breach security.
The Coalition Government have dug their own political grave and etched its headstone with the inscription ‘Here lies Fine Gael/Labour, dead and buried by Irish Water.’